Ken Shouler

I’m in favor of celebrating the accomplishments of George Steinbrenner’s life. But I found much of the coverage of his legacy overly pious and uninformed. For one, the Yankees did exist before he found them. Sure, he did steer the team to seven World Championships in 37 years, from 1973 through 2009. That’s a 18.9 percent success rate. In the previous 50 years however–from 1923 through 1972–the Yankees won 20 World Championships. That’s a 40 percent success rate. He didn’t invent the franchise; he discovered it, bought it, and brought them back to success.